IT decision-makers are increasingly turning to hyperconverged infrastructure as the go-to solution for a wide range of use cases and workloads from the data center to the hybrid cloud to the edge.
HCI brings IT advantages in simplicity, productivity, agility and operational efficiency, which makes it ideal for many IT modernization initiatives, including hybrid cloud, virtual desktop infrastructure, DevOps, branch office IT and edge computing, among others.
HCI has been and continues to be a breakthrough IT technology. The first systems were shipped in 2014, and by 2020, the market reached nearly $8 billion. By 2025, the market is expected to reach $27.1 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 28.1%, according to MarketsandMarkets.
In evaluating the business value of potential solutions, it is important to recognize that not all solutions are created equal. Through their tightly integrated partnership, Dell Technologies and VMware have been able to build innovations into their solutions that other vendors can’t match.
Dell EMC VxRail is the only HCI portfolio built in direct partnership with VMware, meaning Dell EMC VxRail solutions are jointly engineered from the ground up to empower VMware environments from core to edge to cloud. Three of the key benefits of this model are:
- Curated experience: Dell EMC VxRail HCI solutions are fully tested, validated and automated across the entire stack, and include VxRail HCI System Software, which extends VMware’s native capabilities and keeps infrastructure in a continuously validated state. Every single full-stack upgrade is optimized with 25,000 test hours, and customers can choose from a virtually unlimited number of configuration options. IT teams don’t have to spend hours researching and planning upgrades, and can easily plan for upgrades with advanced scheduling and upgrade time estimates.
- Automation at scale: Customers can manage individual clusters through VxRail Manager, which is natively integrated into VMware vCenter. Alternately, they can use the SaaS-based multi-cluster global management solution for global management of multiple deployments, enabling IT to plan and perform upgrades with advanced scheduling, upgrade time estimates and single-click updates.
- Any platform, any workload: Whether your organization is accelerating data center modernization, extending HCI to harsh edge environments, deploying an on-premises hybrid cloud or creating a developer-ready Kubernetes platform, Dell EMC VxRail delivers a turnkey experience that lets you continuously innovate, realize operational freedom and predictably evolve your infrastructure. Configuration options include the broadest range of technologies based on workload and application requirements, including solutions with advances such as NVMe flash storage, Intel Optane Persistent Memory, AMD EPYC processors and more.
Delivering exceptional business value
This tight integration and commitment to innovation by Dell Technologies and VMware have created an opportunity for customers to derive exceptional business value to support IT modernization and digital transformation initiatives across the entire VxRail portfolio.
IDC recently conducted a study focused on the business value of Dell EMC VxRail and VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail. It showed dramatic business gains for customers, including a five-year return on investment (ROI) of 452%, 72% lower operational costs and average annual benefits of $2.64 million per organization.
Primary benefits were in these areas:
- Optimizing IT infrastructure costs
- Delivering more value with IT teams
- Minimizing costs and risks associated with unplanned outages and data loss
- Generating business value by ensuring IT can support business expansion efforts, support more effective and productive development activity, and provide a better user experience
The IDC study took a deep dive into these benefits to identify key areas of exceptional business value and quantify the benefits. These areas of value included:
- Exceptional productivity:
- 44% faster deployment of new virtual machines
- 92% less unplanned downtime for IT teams
- Single point of support for all hardware and software
- Continuously validated states with VxRail HCI System Software
- Exceptional results:
- 452% five-year ROI with 10 months to payback
- 47% lower total cost of ownership over a five-year period
- 72% lower operating costs
- 66% increase in team efficiency
- Revenue gains of $7 million per year on average
- Exceptional advantages:
- 32% faster execution of business transactions
- 114% new applications developed per year
- Secure management with VxRail SaaS multi-cluster management
- Six-nines availability and rich data services
- Consumption-based pricing models so you pay for only what you need
Taking the next step
Hyperconverged infrastructure is one of the core technologies enabling organizations of all sizes to drive digital transformation through IT modernization. Choosing solutions that deliver the most value in terms of productivity, cost savings, business agility, ROI and support for developers is one of the most important decisions IT teams can make.
When it comes to HCI innovation and leadership, Dell EMC VxRail solutions with VMware Cloud Foundation are setting a new standard in delivering exceptional business value. For more information on how your organization can benefit from the VxRail portfolio, please visit Dell Technologies.
